SACRAMENTO, CA - On Saturday, Sacramento Kings head coach Michael Malone said that he prayed every night before bed for a healthy team, hoping to have defensive wizard Luc Mbah a Moute back in action.

On Monday, it appeared as if those prayers were answered.

Mbah a Moute, who has been battling a sore right knee, which bothered him during last season in Milwaukee, participated in his first full practice since the Kings opened training camp in Santa Barbara, in the first week of October.

The soreness in the knee was diagnosed as patella tendinitis. Mbah a Moute, the 6-foot-8 small forward, had surgery on the knee on May 3 to correct the discomfort. He was sidelined for 19 games last season as a member of the Bucks.

"I feel good," Mbah a Moute said following Monday's practice, in preparation for Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors. "I'll be ready to play Wednesday."

The 27-year-old Mbah a Moute would need to visit with the team's trainers before being cleared to play. He would also need his coach's blessings which would not be hard to get.

Malone hinted frustration with the soreness in the knee and said on Monday before a preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers, that Mbah a Moute would have to play through the pain this season.

"With training camp, all the practices combined, I think my knee just kind of got sore," Mbah a Moute said. "I just needed to calm it down a little bit but now I'm feeling better.

The only game action Mbah a Moute has experienced was the preseason opener in Oakland, against the Warriors back on Oct. 7.

Mbah a Moute was tabbed as the defensive presence the Kings so desperately needed, when he was aquired in the offseason for a future second-round draft pick.